Abstract

The magneto-optical Kerr effect of an iron-vanadium nanocluster-assembled thin film was measured as a function of hydrogen content. Hydrogen has a clear effect on the magnetization of this three-dimensional exchange coupled system for both increasing and decreasing hydrogen pressures. This effect is attributed to the modification of the electronic properties of the nonmagnetic vanadiumnanoclusters by hydrogen. Since vanadium mediates the exchange coupling between aggregated ironnanoclusters, the changes in magnetic properties are directly related to hydrogen absorption.

Received 07 January 2009Accepted 21 April 2009Published online 04 June 2009

Acknowledgments:

We acknowledge financial support from the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), the Belgian Inter-university Attraction Pole (IAP), Vlaanderen and the K.U.Leuven Research Council (GOA). We wish to thank Rik Strobbe and Frans Hennau for their technical support and Jelle Wouters for helpful discussions.